Most jurisdictions have adopted building codes requiring that where a builder of an office building provides water fountains therein, he must provide, in addition to a fountain of normal height, a separate drinking fountain of a height sufficient to accommodate persons confined to wheelchairs. The purpose of this invention is to provide a vertically adjustable drinking fountain which eliminates the need for providing two separate fountains of different heights. By simply pushing a button the drinking fountain can be raised or lowered to the desired height. The provision of a single fountain capable of accommodating persons of different heights results in substantial cost savings since only one cabinet, one refrigeration unit and a single set of plumbing hardware need be employed. The cost of manufacturing such a unit is only slightly greater than that of standard units. Further, existing units can be readily converted to an adjustable unit through relative minor modifications to the cabinet structure.
At least one prior art patent, U.S. Pat. No. 1,498,887 to G. R. Pratt, dated June 24, 1924, entitled DRINKING FOUNTAIN, shows a vertically adjustable drinking fountain. However, the fountain shown therein is manually adjustable.